Improvement in water-wheels



J. A. DAVIS. Water-Wheel.

No. 219,348. Patented Sept. 9,1879.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. DAVIS, OF HENDERSON, ALABAMA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WH EELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 219,348, datedSeptember 9, 1879; application filed June 2, 1879.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. DAVIS, of Henderson, in the county of Pikeand State of Ala bama, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Water Wheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to so construct the wheel that theentire force of the water will be utilized.

It consists in the peculiar construction of the blades of the wheel, aswill be hereinafter fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a vertical section, ofthe casing and wheel. Fig. 3 is a side elevation; Fig. 4, a plan of thewheel removed from the casing and Fig. 5 is a perspective of the wheeldetached from the casing.

a is the scroll or casing, within which the wheel revolves. It iscomposed of the ring a formed so as to provide the inlet a and of theupper and under end plates, of a, all secured together as shown. in theplate a there is provided a bearing, a for the shaft of the wheel, andin the plate a there is formed a large round opening, a into which theend of the hub projects, as hereinafter explained.

Within the opening a there is fixed a wide hoop or ring, b, one edge,I), of which projects into the casing slightly beyond the inner face ofthe plate a and the other edge, I), of which projects outward slightlybeyond the outer face of said plate a as shown in Fig. 2. This ring isthe outlet for the water, and it serves also as a guide to givesteadiness to the movement of the wheel.

cis a bearing-bar, secured to the plate a diametrically across theopening a and ring b, and in it is journaled one end of the shaft of thewheel.

The opening a and the bearing a are arranged at one side of the casing,and so as to provide a gradually-diminishing waterpassage, d, leadingfrom the inlet a around the wheel, and. ending at the point d, where thewings or blades of the wheel touch or just clear the side of the ring a,as shown in Fig. 1.

e is the hub, supported on the axis 0 journaled in the bar 0 and platea". The end 0 of the axis projects out of the casing and gives thenecessary facilities for connecting with machinery. The hub extends fromthe plate (6 through the casin g and opening a its end being flush withthe outer face of the plate a, as shown.

The hub is provided with a series of blades, 6 composed of the curvedplates 6 and the wings 6 secured together so as to provide the flatvertical faces 0, formed radially to the axis 0, and against which facesthe water impinges. The wings e have a length equal to the verticaldepth of the chamber within the casing a, and they project laterallyover the edge of the hoop b and revolve freely within the said chamber.They are made wide from the outer vertical edge of the impinging face 0to the rear vertical edge, 0 while the outer vertical face, 0", iscurved inward, so that the said rear edge o is in line with the outeredge of the curved plate 0 This construction completely uncovers theface 0 of the next following blade. The narrow space intervening betweenthe edge e? and face 0 permits the water to flow freely into the spacebehind the wing 0 onto the curved plate a, which discharges it from thecasing through the opening a.

The curved plates or arms 6 project outward from and are of the lengthof the hub, their lower ends projecting into the ring I). On one sidethey are made with a vertical radial face, which forms a part of theimpinging face a. The opposite or rear. side is inclined or curvedforward and downward, giving them a spiral form around the hub c, asshown in Figs.

3 and 4. I

The Wings 0 are widest at their front end, and are slightly curvedbackward and inward, and are secured to the outer ends of the arms 6 inthe position shown.

The wings and arms, constructed and arranged as described, provide awide spiral passage between the blades and between the wings and hub, sothat the water, after its force is spent, is discharged without tendingto create eddies in the current of the inflowing water.

.to the revolution of the wheel.

In this device the water has a square strike against the faces a givinggreat power with small quantity of fluid.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. The improved Wheel, composed of the hub e, curved arms 0 and wings 0arranged to provide a vertical impinging face 0 and aspiral channel ordischarge between the blades and between the wings a and hub e, andsupported in a scroll or suitable casing, substan* tially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the scroll'a, having opening a provided withthe ring I), the inner end of which projects into the chamber of thescroll, of the hub 6, provided with'curved arms 0 the under ends ofwhich project through the ring I), and having the wings a secured to theouter ends of the arms 6 and provided with guide-grooves f, arranged tooperate substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as my own I affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

JOHN D. GARDNER, L. H. BOWLES.

